There was a grumble. Revna got to her feet, wincing. “Sorry, Avery. Didn’t mean to sit on you.”

“You are heavier than you look,” Avery replied, rubbing their chest. Ciro walked over and pulled Avery to their feet.

Revna narrowed her eyes. “Oh, so you want to talk about weight—”

There was a scream. All four pairs of eyes immediately went to Mazel. Her black hair was frizzy and messy, her eyes widened with fear as she took in the sight before her. Four people. Avery, who was the tallest. A shorter girl with long back hair. Two more people, with similar heights, builds, and looks. Twins, maybe.

She scrambled to her feet, stumbling backwards. Her heart beat was slow, and her vision was murky, as if she was looking through an old camera. She was panting, but she didn’t know why. The aftermath of the drug, probably.

They were in a clearing with a large stone in the middle. Tall, gnarly trees surrounded them. They were all packed together densely, and there seemed to be a silent hum reverberating throughout the entire forest. Like a cat purring.

The black-haired girl stepped forward, palms up like she was trying to calm down a frightened animal. Mazel scowled. Her fingers twitched. She ached for her gun.

“Stay calm, Aurelia—”

“Who the hell is Aurelia?” Mazel snapped. The girl took another step forward. Mazel narrowed her eyes.

The girl wasn’t deterred. “I’m Revna.” She gestured behind her. “That’s Avery, that’s Ciro, and that’s Neri.”

“Uh-huh. What do you want from me?”

Revna glanced behind her, as if trying to ask for permission to do something. Mazel turned around and ran. She wasn’t sure why actaully, considering her legs still felt like jelly and her back hurt. All she wanted to do was lie down and take a nap. Instead, she ran.

Someone yelled after her, but Mazel kept on going. The trees were unfamiliar, the terrain was tricky, and it was dark. She kept tripping, and she had already slammed her shoulder against a low-hanging branch at least twice, but she felt numb.

As long as no one’s coming after me, she thought, she could keep on running.

Neri sighed, watching the poor girl dash away. She was fast, but anyone who hasn’t lived in this forest all their life would get lost and end up right back in this clearing after a while. She knew the forest well, and the forest knew them well. Her and Ciro, that is.

“…what did I tell you about overdosing her with Taraian berries?” Revna was saying. She had her hands planted on her hips and was glaring at Avery, who was glaring back down at her.

The height difference between the two was almost comical. Avery had eldritch in her blood, so naturally, they were the tallest, strongest, and fastest of the group. Revna was a shapeshifter. Her body constantly went through changes, which was probably the reason she couldn’t grow more than 165 centimeters, as they say in the Surface.

Avery sighed. “You’re always blaming me for everything. I didn’t even give her that much.”